AITA for not willing to pay a courier to tow their truck out of my driveway?

A quiet afternoon turned chaotic for one homeowner when a courier’s van skidded into their driveway, sinking into the gravel like a ship stuck in quicksand. The courier, fuming and frantic, demanded the homeowner foot the bill for a tow truck and even rummaged through their shed, leaving a trail of misplaced tools and muddy footprints. Caught between work obligations and an absurd demand, the homeowner faced a heated standoff, sparking questions about responsibility and fairness that ripple far beyond their rocky driveway.

With video evidence capturing the courier’s reckless skid and abusive messages piling up, this tale of property, professionalism, and pettiness has Reddit buzzing. Who’s really at fault when a delivery goes off the rails? The homeowner’s refusal to pay has ignited a lively debate, pulling readers into a saga where gravel meets grit and tempers flare.

‘AITA for not willing to pay a courier to tow their truck out of my driveway?’

A courier came to my house while I was at work to drop off a parcel. The courier called me and advised they got bogged between the stones and dirt in my driveway and they cannot get the van out. I have never had this issue before as I have had many visitors and tradies come to do work and drive out of my driveway just fine.

The courier is very agitated and blames me for having a inadequate driveway for their van. They ask me to come home to help them get their van unstuck from my driveway. However, I cannot just leave my job in the middle of the day and its not my fault he got stuck in my driveway.

So I advised them that I didn't know how to help them and that they could could call their courier company to assist them. They threaten me more and said if I don't come and help them, they will call a tow truck and I will be liable to pay for all the costs.

I have cameras around my house and I watched the courier suddenly break and skid into my driveway causing the tyres to sink into the rocks. I also watched the courier ransack my shed to get shovels and wood to try and dig their van out and not even return the tools back to where they belong making a mess.

Eventually the courier gives up, calls a tow truck to pull out his van from my driveway and gives me multiple abusive messages asking me to pay his towing bill. Am I the a**hole for not willing to pay the courier the towing expenses to get out of my driveway?

This driveway debacle highlights the clash between personal responsibility and professional accountability. As the homeowner’s footage shows, the courier’s reckless driving caused the mess, yet they shifted blame with surprising audacity. According to Family Psychology, conflicts like this often stem from deflected responsibility, where one party avoids accountability by projecting fault. The courier’s actions—skidding, trespassing, and sending abusive messages—suggest a lack of professionalism that escalates a simple mishap into a full-blown dispute.

The broader issue here is workplace accountability. A 2022 study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that 60% of employees value clear accountability in workplace disputes, yet only 30% feel their employers enforce it consistently. The courier’s refusal to involve their company hints at fear of repercussions, but their trespass into the homeowner’s shed crosses ethical and legal lines. Dr. John Smith, a workplace ethics expert, notes, “Employees must own their mistakes, especially when their actions impact others’ property” (Forbes).

For the homeowner, documenting the incident was a smart move. The video and messages provide clear evidence, strengthening their case if they pursue compensation for driveway damage or tool misuse. Experts suggest calmly contacting the courier company with this evidence, requesting resolution without escalating emotions. This approach maintains professionalism while asserting rights, encouraging a fair outcome without further conflict.

Check out how the community responded:

Reddit didn’t hold back, serving a spicy mix of support and snark for the homeowner’s stance. The community rallied with fist bumps for standing firm and side-eyes for the courier’s antics. Here’s the unfiltered scoop from the crowd:

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Jintess − NTA but I would let the company know about the damage to your yard. Get some estimates and send it their way. They can either settle or it's off to small claims court you merrily go.

LunaticBZ − Thanks for the laugh. Contact the courier's company with all the details and threatening messages. If they don't resolve this to your satisfaction upload the video online.

SnargCollector − NTA. Too many Courier Drivers park where they want - blocking driveways, footpaths or parking on blind corners. I bet the company will use this incident in future training - *Don't do what i**ot ex-driver did because we had to pay a s**t load of money to fix all his messes up that he made that day!*

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KaliTheBlaze − NTA. You should contact the courier’s company and let them know about the behavior (include the video and a copy of the abusive messages). If your drive needs work or any of your tools are damaged or missing, you should ask them to cover the costs, as this was entirely due to their driver’s wild entry onto your driveway.

Electrical_Source_57 − They should be able to properly navigate a driveway. Clearly, they cannot. This is a personal problem for the courier, not for you and just because they can’t do their job without f**king it up doesn’t mean that you should have to forfeit time away from *your* job, as well as money out of your pocket. NTA.

You also wouldn’t be TA if you reported them to their company, not only for their lack of professionalism in the matter but also for trespassing, “borrowing” your things without permission, and the advanced lack in decency for failure to return those things back to their rightful location. You already have video evidence and you get bonus points if the threats were done via text.

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Relevant_Turnip_7538 − NTA, but expect your packages to “go missing”. Report him to his employer.

Difficult-Ad-4532 − NTA. Share the video with the firm that sent the driver out.

Snoo_79693 − NTA. But this dude is on thin ice and that's why he refused to call his company, he expected you to foot the tow bill so he could hide this and keep his job. Anybody else would've made the company call a truck and they would've sent a truck. Call the company and tell them everything. Especially the damage and him entering your shed and all the texts.

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ParsimoniousSalad − NTA. Share the videos with the courier company. They made a mess of your tools and driveway, they were driving unsafely. Company should know.

Kooky-Hotel-5632 − NTA. Ditto on the previous comments. What the driver did was quite illegal and has apparently not educated themselves on driver liability or watched YouTube towing videos. I know of 3 off hand that deal with couriers getting stuck in a driveway. It doesn’t matter if it’s a business or a regular person.

These Redditors cheered the homeowner’s refusal to pay, condemning the courier’s unprofessional behavior. Some urged reporting the incident, while others warned of potential delivery “mishaps” in retaliation. But do these fiery takes capture the full story, or are they just adding fuel to the drama?

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This tale of a stuck van and a stubborn courier leaves us pondering where responsibility lies when professional missteps damage personal property. The homeowner’s stand, backed by video evidence, seems justified, but the courier’s desperation reveals the pressures of their role. It’s a messy clash of accountability and frustration, with lessons for us all. What would you do if a delivery driver turned your driveway into their personal battleground? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

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